JAMB GIVES DETAILS OF 2018 EXAMINATION, BANS WRIST WATCHES AND PENS

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board(JAMB) organisers of the Unified TertiaryMatriculation Examination (UTME,) has banned theuse of wrist watches and pens during the conductof its 2018 test.NAN reports that the board’s Registrar, Is’haqOloyede disclosed this to journalists on the sidelineof a one-day sensitisation workshop for ComputerBased Test, CBT, centre owners on Wednesday inLagos.According to him, the essence of the workshop is toappraise the registration and conduct of the 2017examination.

“What we are doing here today is to appraise theregistration and conduct of our past examination and wehave taken some lessons from our experience.“To this end therefore we have introduced some measuresthat will further add to the integrity of the registrationprocess as well as the conduct of the examination proper.“For instance, we discovered during the conduct of the lastexamination that some electronic devices such as pens,wristwatches and other devices were used to perpetrateexamination malpractice.“So, for next year, we have banned the use of wristwatchesand pens by candidates and other persons in theexamination hall.“We are also going to introduce some detection devices toensure that those who plan to cheat in the examination hallare frustrated, as we will also jam (communication network)of the centres,” he said.Mr. Oloyede noted that the sale of the registrationdocument for the 2018 UTME would commencebefore the end of November.“We are planning to meet with all stakeholders onNovember 15 and the sale of the registration document willdefinitely commence before the end of this month.“But before that, we expect candidates to go and downloadour app, go to our website and download the syllabus andbrochure, so that they can now study the process.“This is in order to minimise the errors that usually occursduring the registration process,” he said.The JAMB boss added that not less than 617 centreshave been accredited nationwide for the exercise.“We are still considering about 60 more centres as we havetheir applications waiting for consideration.“However, a total of 72 centres nationwide have earlier beendelisted owing to their involvement in some infractions andthey remain delisted.”On the board’s plan to construct mega CBT centresfor its examinations, Mr. Oloyede said: “The megacentre plan is still on, we said that last year.“ But the process of planning will take some time.“There will be design, there will be contact with privateoperators, just as there will be advertisements and also dueprocess will be followed,” he said.Earlier, Mr. Oloyede called for the support of theCBT centre owners in checking anti-examinationactivities capable of compromising theexamination.“While thanking you for your diligence during the 2017examination, we want to seize this opportunity to informyou of the flagging off of the 2018 exercise.“We will like to also assure you that we will make use ofthe best CBT centres in the coming examination.“You will be culpable if you do not expose any CBT centrethat is doing what is evil because they will attractcondemnation from all of us.“It is on this premise that we are appealing that you assistus in identifying the bad eggs among you and ensuring thatthey do not participate in our activities,” he said.According to him, monitoring starts from the timeof arrival of the centre owners to the workshop.He added that during the 2018 UTME examination,the board would include some other requirementsfor CBT centres.“ We are not going to accept wireless CCTV cameras. Anyexamination conducted in any CBT centre that we cannotmonitor from Abuja will not be paid for.“The onus is on you to ensure that your CCTV are workingand must be on and no CBT centre is allowed to sell anykind of materials under the guise of past questions.“We will also not tolerate candidates leaving the centre togo out to use the toilet. It is expected that all accredited CBTcentres have an in-house convenience,” Mr. Oloyede said.